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Comment by Insanity | Hacker News Reader

This is what is kind of keeping me back from going electric. My current condo building (in Toronto) does have chargers on the first parking level, but each time I drive past them, they are taken. Dealing with that sounds annoying.

Across the pond, in Belgium, there is now a push for companies to offer electric cars as part of the compensation package, some friends have placed their first EV "order". Because of this, companies are installing chargers around the office. I'd instantly opt-in for that. (Although in Belgium I think it's mandatory now, so wouldn't even have a choice. But someone still living/working there can correct me on that).

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I wouldn't want to rely on charging at work. That would significantly reduce my workplace options. And what happens if EV adoption at your employer grows and there ends up being contention for chargers there?

I do wonder if the chargers at your condo punish at all for being plugged in even once fully charged. Some people might not care about the location of those charging spots, so they just park there and leave it there all the time.

Tesla learned many years ago that people just leaving their car at the supercharger while they spend a couple hours at the mall watching a movie or whatever was going to become a massive problem, so they charge idling fees if you're fully charged and the charging station is at more than 50% capacity.

Non-California resident.

I have a hunch that this is what is going to slow EV adoption. I could be wrong, but I don't see this changing since the incentives aren't directly linked. Apartments can easily find other residents. Condo associations have to subsidize a few residents.

I can't fathom having an EV currently. Charging at home is a must.

A huge % of Americans live in home with garages though. Even if that’s all we get to adopt EV, that’s huge.

Everyone in my neighborhood has 2-4 car garages, we are unusual in the neighborhood in the fact that we keep our cars in it.

HUGE swatches of the US are this way. Especially places without mass transit. I cannot see a house out my window without at least a 2 car garage, some go up to 4 or higher.

Sure, my point though is that there seems to be a trend to use the garage for storing everything but a car nowadays. So while houses with garages make it easy to charge an EV, much of America suburbia needs to find room for all their other shit before they think “I can just charge my car in my garage…”

I charge at work and the grocery store. Not sure how charging at home is a must.

America is overwhelmingly single-family residences. By the time half of those have EVs, the apartment owners will feel the need.

In Norway, they had what looked like old fashioned parking meters outside apartment buildings. What it was a combination parking meter and electric charging meter... So you could park overnight and charge on the street... And get charged for parking at the same time!

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